Aaron Judge on the Yankees; Licensed by CC 2.0
When the New York Yankees acquired Juan Soto in the offseason, the franchise let the baseball world know they meant business. The Yankees sent five players to San Diego to make the move, while the Padres moved Soto and outfielder Trent Grisham to the Bronx. The move ignited the baseball scene. This was one of those times when preseason predictions of New York going nuclear came true. The “short porch” with Soto, plus Judge’s alien-like, power talent, was a combination that put the Yankees back in the spotlight.
In another TDA article written by yours truly, Juan Soto’s spring training performance was analyzed as a great example of how having a great camp can help predict the type of season a player will have. I wrote, “he has only nine at-bats, but has three home runs, a 2.616 OPS and a .667 batting average. Now, with his 279 at-bats on his toes, it’s up to Soto performance was as impressive as ever.
Soto has always been extremely adept at drawing walks when he’s a hitter. In fact, he led the league in this stat in three of the six full seasons he played in the MLB. This season is no different as he currently leads the league with 63 walks. Pairing nicely with his walks is his major percentage. With a .431 OBP, Soto has the best chance to catch up of any qualified hitter in baseball. In Soto style, he has more walks (63) than strikeouts (57), a rarity in today’s game.
In his first taste of the American League, Soto is slashing .305/.431/.563, good for a .994 OPS and a 179 OPS+. These numbers alone are extraordinary, but the deeper percentages are on him A baseball savant page confirms that his success is not due to any luck. His expected statistics in batting average, slugging, and on-base weighted average rank in the 98th, 99th, and 99th percentiles, respectively. His hard hitting percentage and barrel percentage rank 99th and 98th. It would almost be easier to report percentages that were not higher than the 98th. The “worst” offensive percentages are 62nd in slugging percentage and 47th in the LA Sweet-Spot, which is a very fair price to pay for the ridiculous positions he ranks in every other category.
It’s safe to say that Juan Soto is firmly in contention for the AL MVP award. Unfortunately, his teammate may steal the award from him. Aaron Judge is having a season on par with his MVP campaign in 2022. The problem with having two legitimate MVP candidates on the same team is that the Yankees will certainly tolerate it.
Aaron Judge has been in an absolute slump this season. He leads the league in doubles (22), home runs (28), runs batted in (70), total bases (192), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.108) and OPS+ (207). He also leads the league in double plays with 13. But who really cares about getting into double plays when you lead the league in seven other offensive categories? The categories he’s leading right now also look eerily similar to his 2022 MVP run.
To him cutting line enough to make Barry Bonds proud. Through 78 games, Judge is hitting .300/.423/.686. His deeper numbers on him A baseball savant page is just as impressive as its teammate above. For starters, Judge ranks in the 100th percentile in expected wOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, slugging percentage, and slugging percentage. His walk percentage ranks in the 99th percentile, one tick below Soto’s rank. Again, his “worst” page ranks in the 8th percentile in slugging percentage and 25th in hitting percentage. Everything else is as bright red as Citizens Bank Park in October.
Selfishly, as a Giants fan, that kind of production and star power would be overrated with the way things are going in the Bay right now. Instead, the Yankees found a replacement for Aaron Judge without even losing Aaron Judge. While Judge has always been a liability, his ability to walk and drive in runs will always make up for that downside. Also, Judge’s hitting numbers are more than offset by Soto’s discipline.
It’s hard to remember a pair of teammates swinging the bat quite like these two Bronx Bombers in 2024. They paved the way for the Yankees to lead the AL East with a 52-28 record, the most wins. in baseball. It’s a pretty safe call to say the Yankees will make the playoffs this season. Their starting rotation was just greatly improved with the return of Gerrit Cole. The bullpen is led by closer Clay Holmes. The offense is led by the two players mentioned above. They elevate everyone around them, and the Yankees look to be a powerhouse deep into October. If all goes according to plan, their winning ways will convince Soto to stick with them as he hits free agency next year. His performance will undoubtedly land him one of the biggest sports contracts of all time.
